Just another day at work (232/365)

August 20, 2015 – Today involved a trip to Port Alberni and back and though I usually ferry over, I flew this time as I had a ride from Nanaimo. I don’t mind taking the ferry, and sometimes I even prefer it since it allows me time to think about what I am heading over to the Island to do. I never think about work when I fly because the trip across takes 20 minutes instead of over an hour and a half, plus waiting time at each end to load and unload. I also don’t tend to think about work when I fly because I love the crossing so much that I am too busy stretching my neck to see everything I can – boats, ferries, possibly whales, other planes, interesting patterns int he water from the Fraser River outflow, algae blooms, and so on.

Sometimes, like today, my timing is such that I end up having the pleasure of joining the pilot in the cockpit and taking the co-pilot’s seat. I enjoy those trips particularly because it allows the opportunity to chat with the pilot about all sorts of things while crossing.

The trip to the Island I wasn’t the first down to the plane, but the two who boarded ahead of me went to passenger seats. As I crawled into the tight space and handed my bag to the pilot to stow in the back he said “The co-pilot’s seat is also available.”

I didn’t need any further prompting and headed straight up the cramped area and crawled into the co-pilot’s seat, did up the four point harness and reached back for the headset. When the pilot took his seat he looked over at me and said “Looks like you figured it all out…do you know how to undo it?” Yup, just took my helicopter training recently, I can get that sucker off upside down under water!

My only regret was that I’d left my little camera in my bag and that was now buried under a pile int he back of the plane somewhere. Oh well. There would be other opportunities, this wasn’t the first time I’d been up there and it wouldn’t be the last.

The trip across was pleasant and I discovered that my pilot, Art, was the chief pilot for Harbour Air, has flown small float planes for over 30 years and that much of the early years were spent bush flying. He has flown for Harbour Air for 15 years, lives in Ladysmith and works out of downtown Vancouver, loves to fish but has a 19 year old son without a driver’s licence but who practically lives in Art’s little fishing boat, and that Art had volunteered at the Big Qualicum fish hatchery to bonk fish during one spawning season. He also asked if I knew several people since I work for DFO out of downtown – he regularly flies a few big-wigs I did know of and who live in Nanaimo but work in Vancouver. The plane is their equivalent of the bus. I learned a lot about Art on the flight over.

The rest of the day was spent sorting out some future infrastructure plans, some procedural changes, and some details for a few projects at one of the facilities I work with. And then it was a drive back to Nanaimo for the flight home. I was early for my flight so the fellow I was with suggested we go look at a coho project in a park that he’s been instrumental in developing. I’d seen it before, but not through the eyes of its maker. The system is beautiful, and though only 8 years old, seems so natural that it’s hard to believe it isn’t. The park is a wonderful series of trails with interpretive information and cultural items natural blending into the forest. There are several totem poles that I’d photographed last year when I was here, but I love the way they are being taken back by the vegetation.

Then it was down to the harbour for a beer and to wait for the plane. When the flight was called I was outside hanging over the rail near the gate and I turned to see that my pilot back as, again, Art! He smiled and asked if my day had been a success and if things had gone well. Mostly, yes. We walked down the dock to the plane chatting the entire way and somehow I ended up in the front with him again.

The flight back was equally engaging. I asked what his worst flight ever was…quite the story about flying a boat from one small lake to another but the boat was too big for the Beaver he was using…but he survived it. Young and stupid he said. Now he’s older and smarter. We talked about whale sightings and he showed me photos on his iPhone of a pod of 200+ dolphins. We talked about assisting search and rescue when boaters were in trouble, and how they are often instrumental in spotting and early notification of forest fires along the coast.

And then we were flying in over the Vancouver Harbour to land. I love Vancouver, particularly from the air. It’s such a beautiful city perched on the water as it is.

And I love these days.

I suppose the flights are preferable to the ferries sometimes. At least the trip home, because it’s faster and I’m not so exhausted when I arrive back in Vancouver.